200 STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



people beyond this earth they can hope for them there; but they may just 

 as well start in the beginning wilhout any hoj)e of reward here. The 

 man who looks for it on earth will be disajjpointed; and I think I heard 

 my friend Graham lamenting, the other day, upon precisely this score. 



Having received within a day or two a line concerning the quality of 

 the reports of the Michigan State Horticultural society, I wish to speak of 

 the demand that exists for this literature, not onl}- in this state, where it 

 is coustantl}' increasing, but the requests come from localities far from 

 where we suppose there is much horticultural interest; and it comes from 

 all portions of this country, and indeed from other countries, very fre- 

 quently. It is our puri)ose to furnish educational institutions, public 

 libraries, and such concerns, so far as we can, with full sets of our 

 Eeports. It is impossible, and has been for two years, to furnish a com- 

 plete set, for those of some years are exhausted, save one or two volumes 

 which we keep in our librar}^ at Lansing. I recently had an application 

 from an assistant professor in pomology in Cornell university for a set 

 of our reijorts. I furnished one to him (of course we do not undertake to 

 pay the transportation charges in any such case) and upon his receipt of 

 it he very politely sent me the following note, under date of November 22: 

 "My Dear Sir : I do not know what I can say to show appreciation of the 

 set of Reports of the Michigan State Horticultural society, which you so 

 very kindly sent me. Everyone who studies from reason scientifically 

 must have these Reports. They will be of great value to me. I appreciate 

 them verv much and sincerelv thank von for them." I brought this with 

 me today simpl}- because I happened to lately receive it, and I have 

 received many such letters, some of them from German universities that, 

 applying for these Reports, have been furnished them. They have been 

 sent to Australia and VanDieman's Land, where the fame of the Michigan 

 Horticultural society seems to have penetrated. These things certainly 

 afford encouragement to every person who has to do with the work of this 

 society. I think you may fairly state that there is not in this country a 

 horticultural society report that is of more value than our own, unless we 

 shall except that of the state of Massachusetts, which I think produces 

 the most valuable report there is issued. Of course, it is restricted some- 

 what in its nature, because the horticulture of Massachusetts does not 

 take on a general character, but it is a work as beneficial to the public in 

 general of this country as that of our own state, its matter is of the 

 very highest quality, and its style is such that the state of Michigan can 

 not as yet afford. I secured for the Report for the year 1895, a supply of 

 which is i)resent, a better quality of paper than has ever before been used 

 in the Report in this state. I submitted to the state board of auditors 

 samples of the reports of other states, many of which are very finely 

 printed, those of California, Wisconsin, and Massachusetts especially, 

 and I have secured the use of better paper, which permits the use of a 

 grade of illustration which was impossible under the old system, except 

 by the expensive method of printing special sheets and inserting them 

 in the volume. We hope to secure a Report of larger size next year, but 

 I was restricted this year to a book the same size as that of 1894, because 

 there was a little increase in the cost of the paper. I hav(- got the board 

 of auditors started in the right way, and I hope in the coming year tlK.^ 



